Last-second 3s send Chippewas, Roadrunners to men’s Shootout championship

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The Central Michigan bench celebrates as the team goes ahead in the closing against Cal Poly in a semifinal game in the 2017 Great Alaska Shootout basketball Tournament at the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage, Alaska on Friday, Nov. 24, 2017. Central Michigan won 56-53 to move onto the championship game on Saturday. (Bob Hallinen / ADN)

Basketball fans that attended or tuned in for either of Friday's GCI Great Alaska Shootout men's semifinals were in for a treat as both games came down to big 3-pointers in the final seconds.

Central Michigan topped Cal Poly 56-53 on a go-ahead 3-pointer by junior Shawn Roundtree with 3.8 seconds left and Cal State-Bakersfield defeated Idaho 64-62 on a go-ahead triple by freshman Justin Davis with 1.9 on the clock at the Alaska Airlines Center.

The Chippewas and Roadrunners will play for the final Shootout championship trophy Saturday. After 40-years of bringing Division I hoops to Anchorage, the Shootout is ending this weekend.

For Central Michigan coach Keno Davis, Saturday is an opportunity to win a Shootout title 31 years after his father won one with Iowa in 1986.

"I think it's a game that our guys can go in and not feel pressure," Davis said. "You should enjoy the moment. In a historic tournament like this, to be able to have that opportunity is pretty special."

Roundtree was 1 for 9 from the field and had missed time in the second half with a sprained ankle when he came in and immediately hit a 3-pointer that tied the game at 37-37 midway through the second half.

The teams stayed close until the final minute when Roundtree struck again in the closing seconds, this time from NBA range, to send the Chippewas to the title game.

Roundtree, a 6-foot guard, finished with 10 points and five rebounds for Central Michigan, which was led by sophomore guard Kevin McKay's 19 points, seven rebounds and two steals.

In the late semifinal, Bakersfield battled back from a 12-point deficit in the second half. The Roadrunners held Idaho scoreless for a nine-minute stretch that allowed them to erase the deficit and take a 49-45 lead with nine minutes to go.

"We got put in a tough situation there in the second half and our kids showed a lot of composure," Bakersfield coach Rod Barnes said. "(They) just kind of had a will to win."

Bakersfield got the win, but Idaho had arguably the highlight play of the game. Idaho 6-2 guard Perrion Callandret soared over a Bakersfield defender for a dunk that brought many of the 3,000 fans at the Alaska Airlines Center to their feet in the second half.

Aside from the big Callandret dunk, the Roadrunners enjoyed a dominant presence in the paint, where 6-11 center Aly Moataz (14 points) and 6-6 forward Shon Briggs (14) did most of their damage.

The Roadrunners' 5-10 guard Rickey Holden added an outside element to the game with 15 points and four assists, and Justin Davis tallied nine points, none bigger than the go-ahead 3-pointer from the corner.

"I'd like to say we drew that up on the sideline, but actually we didn't," Barnes said. "They left him (open) and he got a chance to hit a big shot for us."

GCI Great Alaska Shootout men's tournament

Alaska Airlines Center

Friday's semifinals

Central Michigan 56, Cal Poly 53
Cal State-Bakersfield 64, Idaho 62

Saturday's games

Noon – Sam Houston State vs. Santa Clara, seventh-place game
2:30 p.m. – UAA vs. Charleston, fourth-place game
5:30 p.m. – Idaho vs. Cal Poly, third-place game
8 p.m. – Central Michigan vs. Cal State-Bakersfield, championship

Tournament leaders through two rounds

Scoring

Victor Sanders, Idaho, 21
Victor Joseh, Cal Poly, 19.5
Joe Chealey, Charleston, 19.5
Perrion Callandret, Idaho, 19
Donavan Fields, Cal Poly, 18.5
K.J. Feagin, Santa Clara, 16
Henry Caruso, Santa Clara, 15.5
Shawn Roundtree, Central Michigan, 15
Aly Moataz, Cal State-Bakersfield, 15
Rickey Holden, Cal State-Bakersfield, 14.5

Rebounds

Blake Brayon, Idaho, 9
David DiLeo, Central Michigan, 8.5
Henry Caruso, Santa Clara, 8
Nick Harris, Charleston, 7.5
D.J. Ursery, UAA, 7.0
Jamal Williams, Sam Houston State, 7

Assists

Joe Chealey, Charleston, 9
Brent Wrapp, Cal State-Bakersfield, 8.5
John Dewey, Sam Houston State, 8.5
Shawn Roundtree, Central Michigan, 5.5
Donovan Fields, Cal Poly, 5
Perrion Callandret, Idaho, 5